Descriptive Gazetteer Entry for ECCLESTON

ECCLESTON, a village and a township in Chorley district; and a parish in Chorley and Wigan districts, Lancashire. The village stands on the river Yarrow, 2 miles E of Croston r. station, and 4½ W of Chorley; was once a market-town; had also fairs on 14 April and 4 Nov.; and has a post office under Chorley. The township comprises 2, 085 acres. Real property, £4, 891. Pop. in 1851, 671; in 1861, 965. Houses, 184. The parish contains also the townships of Heskin, Parbold, and Wrightington. Acres, 8, 361. Real property, 18, 076; of which £830 are in mines, and £461 in quarries. Pop., 3, 496. Houses, 655. The property is not much divided. The increase of pop. in Eccleston township between 1851 and 1861 arose from the erection of cotton factories. The living is a rectory in the diocese of Manchester. Valne, £965.* Patron, Will. Yates, Esq. The church is ancient. The vicarage of Douglas and the p. curacy of Wrightington are separate benefices. There are three dissenting chapels, a R. Catholic chapel, a free grammar school, and charities £50.


(John Marius Wilson, Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales (1870-72))

Linked entities:
Feature Description: "a village and a township"   (ADL Feature Type: "populated places")
Administrative units: Chorley RegD/PLU       Lancashire AncC
Place: Eccleston

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